Apparatus for pressing print tissue onto articles



Aug. 4, 1953 R. H. MARTIN 2,647,337

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PRINT TISSUE GNTO ARTICLES Filed Aug. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet l ,eAzpH H. Myer/Iv,

INVENTOR.

1953 R. H. MARTIN 2,647,337

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PRINT TISSUE ONTO ARTICLES Filed Aug. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 "2040 h. M4277, F t 6 INVENTOR.

BY J

1953 H. MARTIN 2,647,337

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PRINT TISSUE ONTO ARTICLES Filed Aug. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 QflP/l fl. MQQTIN,

JNVENTOR.

WW #M Aug. 4, 1953 -rm 2,647,337

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PRINT TISSUE ONTO ARTICLES 64 ZSI ZOE m.

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INVENTOR.

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Aug. 4, 1953 R. H. MARTIN 2,647,337

APPARATUS FOR PRESSING PRINT TISSUE ONTO ARTICLES Filed Aug. 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 amp/1' H. Meier/M,-

INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 4, 1953 ABPARATUSFOR'BRESSING PRINT TISSUE I onro. ARTICLES Ralph H. Martin, lios Vernon; Kilns, Los. tion of: Galiiiornia:

Angeles, Galifz, assi'gnor to Angeles; Galifl, a corpora.-

Applicati'on August 14, 1950., Serial 1510.11795344 4: Claims.

This invention relates" to apparatus for operating on an article having print tissue initially applied thereto to cause a transfer of theprint from the tissue to the article.

It is a main object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which can qui'cklyand efficientl'y press the print'tissue against an article carrying the tissue to cause a transfer of the print from-the tissuetoxthe article without breaking the article or smearing the print on the article.

It has been found that inorder to obtain a transfer of a print to an article bymachine-that it is forall practical purposes necessary to apply forces to the articlewhich aresuflicient to fracture or break the article. It is an object of the present invention to-providean apparatus wherein the forces-used toelfect a transfer-of the print are sufficient to easily break or fracture the articl'e; but which forces are so applied that the transfer is efiected without breaking or fracturing.

The present invention contemplates an apparatus having a pair'of diaphragmssupported for movement away: from one another to receive a print tissue-carrying article therebetween and movable toward one another to enclose the article and'thereafter-the machine cperatesto supply air under pressure behind the diaphragm to cause thediaphragms to press the article therebetween to cause the transfer of the print, the article being supported by the diaphragms soas not to be subjected to bending forces which-would readily break or fracture the article.

Another object of the present invention is to provide arota-ry turret type apparatus having a plurality ofpairs of diaphragms: which apparatus isgso operated that. large production is: possible Another object of the-invention is to providean apparatus'wh-i'ch can handle a. plurality ofidifierent: shaped. print tissue-carrying articles without requiring special: molds. or forms 'for each shape;

With the foregoing and other objects in. view, which will bemade manifestin the following detailed description: and specifically pointed out in the appended claims; referenceis'had to. the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of" the invention, wherein:

Figure I is aside view in elevation of an apparatus embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view-of the apparatus depicted in Fig. 1-;

Fig. 3- is a fragmentary sectional view in elevation along lines 3-3" of Fig; 2

Fig. 4 is a sectional view in elevation along lines 44 of Fig. 2; showings. pair of diaphragins in open position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig; 4; showing; the diaphragms in closed positon;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view in elevation along lines 6-6 of Fig. 5, showing a print tissue-carrying article enclosed and" pressed between two diaphragms.

Fig. 7 is-a fragmentary sectional View in; plan along lines 'l--1 of Fig. 1';

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view in plan alonglines 88 of Fig. 4-;

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the air pressure lines or conduits connected to the diaphragms and the means for opening and closing the diaphragms;

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between opening and closing of the diaphragms and inflation and deflation of the diaphragms;

Fig. 11- is a view in plan of the forward side of an air control valve, as indicated by line lI--H on Fig. 3;

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of" a valve used to supply air tothe diaphragms; and

Fig. 13- is a schematic view of a valve used to supply airto the pneumatic means; for opening and closing the diaphragms;

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, Fig. I shows an apparatusembodying the present invention comprising a main. supporting frame generally entitled Ill; on which is mounted. a rotary: turret, general-1 y entitledi Isl; said turret having a hollow center supporting postv Hi from which extends an extension Iii. Extension 6 isrotatablysupnortedby spaced bearings l8 and IS on frame lilsothatturret I i is supported for rotation from frame til. Means for driving the. turret-comprise. a prime mover 20 which. may bean electric motor which drives a reduction. unit: Zla which has: an. output shaft 2 2 which drives through a: friction drive: 24', a. belt 25 which. drives. the: hollow supporting post M through. a suitable pulley or sheave. The motor 2i! when. energized serves. to continuously rotate the turret.

Turret H comprises a lower frame, generally entitled 3-0" composed of a plurality of" pairsof channel beams 32 suitably connected together such as by welding. There are radially extending I-beams 35' connected by nuts and bolts 36 and plates 31* to channel beams 32 and radially extending I--beams 35- are, secured to the central supporting post- I4 in any-suitable manner; such means of locknuts 01.

ceivable through upper frame 50 which frameis adjustable with respect to posts 45 by means of nuts 50 and adjusting screws 5| which are threadedly received through angular supports 53 as best shown in Fig. 5. It is obvious from Fig. 5 that the upper frame 40 may be adjusted along the posts 45 by suitable manipulation of nuts 50, adjusting screws or bolts 5| and lock- Upper frame 40 carries a plurality of upper diaphragm carriers 60 distributed therearound as shown in Fig. 2, and secured to frame 40. There are a plurality of lower diaphragm carriers 6I secured to wheeled frames 03 which wheeled frames have wheels 6t engaging posts 45 to be guided thereby. There are means for causing wheeled frames 63 to be reciprocated along posts 45 so that the diaphragm carriers 60 and BI can be opened to have a print tissuecarrying article inserted therebetween and closed to thereby enclose the article between diaphragms 68 and 69 secured to diaphragm carriers 60 and respectively. The means for opening and closing the diaphragm carriers and the diaphragm comprise a plurality of pneumatic rams having cylinders '50 and piston rods 'II, said cylinders being pivotall supported at I3 from hangers I4, said hangers being secured at their upper ends to the lower frame 30. Piston rods II, as shown in Fig. 5, are pivoted to bellcranks 11, said bellcranks being pivoted at 80 to lower frame 30. Links 8| are pivoted at 82 to wheeled frames 63 and pivoted at 83 to the bellcranks 11. There is a suitable valve system to be de scribed for supplying air to cylinder ID to cause the pneumatic rams to move the bellcranks from the position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 5 wherein links BI and the upper legs 81 of the bellcranks are in line, and therefore, downward thrust from the diaphragm carriers and diaphragms will be transmitted to the pivots 80 and only to a slight extent to the pneumatic rams. Therefore, the main support for the diaphragm carriers and diaphragms in their closed position is the in-line links SI and legs 81 and pivots 80 so that there is no direct load imposed on the pneumatic rams which raise the lower diaphragm carriers 6|.

There are stop bolts 95 provided as shown in Fig. 5, to limit clockwise movement of bellcranks 11 to a position where the legs 81 and links 8| are in line. Stop bolts 95 are received through supports 96 secured to lower frame 30 and stop bolts 95 are adjustable through supports 93 by The wheeled frames 63 have the wheels 65 adjustable outwardly and inwardly with respect thereto by means of guide pins I00 which are mounted on subframes IIII which have bolts I02 threadedly received through flanges I04 on the center portions of wheeled frame 63. Subframes IOI are also adjusted by meansof set screws I06 within the main frames .of wheeled frames 63 as best shown in Fig. 8,

Fig. 8 also showing the construction of wheels 64 which have reduced center portions to provide nuts 55 carried by the adjusting bolts or screws 4 inwardly inclined faces to fit the faces of posts 45.

Diaphragms 88 and 69 are secured to their respective carriers as shown in Fig. 6 by means of wires I08 which overlie annular grooves I09 provided in the peripheral surfaces of the diaphragm carriers 60 and GI. However, reliance is not placed on wires I08 to retain the diaphragms onto the carriers during operation of the device but the diaphragms are retained on their carriers by means of the pressure created by rims III and H2 provided by diaphragm carriers 60 and BI, respectively, as shown in Fig. 6.

' When the links 8| and legs 81 of bellcranks I1 are in aligned position the portions of diaphragms 68 and 60 overlying rims III and II2 are firmly pressed between the rims thereby providing an airtight seal between the diaphragms and the diaphragm carriers, and this operation accomplishes two results. One, air which is supplied in a manner to be described, to the carriers 60 and BI cannot escape between the diaphragms and the diaphragm carriers but is confined in the concave portions of the carriers so as to be effective against the diaphragms to cause thediaphragms to press the print-carrying article A in'Fig. 6 to cause a transfer of the print from the print tissue B to the article A. The other result achieved by firmly pressing the diaphragms together at the location of the rims III and H2 is to prevent load being imposed on wires I08, since there would be a tendency for the diaphragms to pull inwardly and pull loose from the wires I08 and it is the purpose of the present invention not to impose such a load on the wires I08.

Diaphragms 68 and 00 are apertured at I20 and |2I, respectively, so that if for any reason the diaphragms are inflated prior to closing of the diaphragms that the air will escape through apertures I20 and I2I, thereby preventing permanent damage to the diaphragms and preventing the diaphragms from being torn loose from the carriers 60 and 6|. It is important that the diaphragms be firmly pressed between rims III and 2 prior to the supplying of air behind the diaphragms so as to avoid rupturing of the diaphragms and also to prevent the diaphragms from being torn loose from the carriers 60 and 6 I. An air pressure system for supplying air to cylinders I0 and carriers 60 and SI is provided and so constructed that air will always be supplied to the cylinders I0 prior to carriers 60 and BI so that the above undesirable results will be avoided. The air pressure system is best shown in Figs. 3 and 9, and in Fig. 3 there is a central air pressure supply line I23 which is stationary and which is threaded into the upper end of a stationary support I24 which extends through central hollow supporting post I4 and is secured at its lower end to the lower end of frame I0. Air under pressure is supplied from supply pipe I23 to an annular member I20 having an upper annular passage I2! and a lower annular passage I28. Air from air supply pipe I23 is conducted through conduits I30 directly from bore |3I in the upper end of stationary member I24 as shown in Fig. 3, conduits I30 being secured to a rotatable shell I33 which has suitable packing I35 therewithin to prevent the escape of air between shell I33 and fixed member I24. There is a supply line I38 disposed oppositely of supply line I30 and leads to a pressure reducing valve I39 through a safety valve I40 to the upper passageway or chamber- I'ZT. A single source of supply of air under pressureis used in the embodiment of the invention disclosed but as the pressure required for the cylinders 1'0 is higher than required for the diaphragms $8 and t9, the pressure to the diaphragms is reduced through the reducing valve F39. Barger cylinders it can be used instead of a higher pressure but it is usually more convenient to use the relatively small cylinder 10' instead of large cylinders.

There are a plurality of air control valves Mil which are used to control the air to the cylinders 1'0, there being one valve for each of the cylinders 10,. saidivalvesbeing mounted on lower frame 36 asshown'in the case for one valve in Fig. 3'. Control: valves Hill for cylinders 19 are connected by flexible conduits I 42 to the lower annular chamber [*28 as best shown in Fig. 9" and connected by conduits M3 and PM to cylinders Til, said valves having'exhaust ports Mt. Valves Mllhave rotatable plates. It? provided with lugs (48, said plates being secured by stems 150' to the movable elements is! of valves Hill, see Figs. 3 and-13. Valves MD- are of a common type and the schematic diagram in Fig: 13 shows this type. The valves are constructed so, that when the movable valve elements i 55 are moved from the solid line position in Fig..13jto the dotted line position that air will be alternately supplied to opposite sides of the pneumatic rams in cylinders it}, therefore causing the lower diaphragm carriers El to be re'ciprocated to open and close the diaphragms to allow the insertion of print tissue-carrying articl'e between the diaphragms and the removal of print tissue-carrying article from between the diaphragms. Valves Hill? are actuated by an upper arm [55 and lower arm 958 carried by sta tionary member [2 1, see Fig. 3. Upper arm I55 is located at an angle with regard to the lower arm I56. as can be seen by comparing Figs. 2 and I; Upper arm IE is adapted to engage lugs I48 of valves. I40 and actuate. the valves so that air under pressure is supplied to one side of the pneumatic ram and arm 5% is adapted to actuate lugs M8 to cause air under pressure to be supplied to the other sides of the pneumatic rams. within cylinders 70. It is obvious from Fig. I3 that whenever the valves M42 are actuated in either direction that the air under pressure on the opposite side of the ram will be conducted through the exhaust passage M5 of valves Hill.

From Fig, itcan be seen that during, 240 of travel the valves Mil are actuated in one direction to raise the pneumatic rams and. that during the remaining 120 the valves ltd are actuated to lower the pneumatic rams. The turret as depicted in Fig. 10 rotates in a clockwise direction and therefore, each of the valves Mt will be actuated by arm I55 so as to supply air under pressure to the cylinder thereof to cause the pneumatic ram associated with the actuated valve to move. downwardly, thereby lowering the lower diaphragm carrier 6 ii and opening the diaphragms. As the. valves. progress. around in a clockwise direction arm let will thereupon contact eachvalve MB and serve to actuate the valve in the opposite direction so that the pneumatic rams associated with the valves Mil will be actuated so as to. close the diaphragms.

There are arms Fill and tl-t fixedly secured tostationary member 124 and. positioned opposite one another as shownin Fig. 10 sothat. valves its. which are actuated. by arms its and. ill in amanner similar to the actuation of- Valves Mil will be actuated first prior to and then subsequent to the actuation of valves Ill). That. is,

as seen in Fig. 10, arm I'm which is the upper arm will contact lugs 11-6 of valves [.15 and actuat'e the valves prior to the actuation of the pneumatic rams which are actuated by arms I55. Arm H 0 serves to actuate valves H5 so as to cause deflation of the diaphragms and arm I'll actuates valves H5 so as. to cause inflation of the diaphragms 6E] and 69. Therefore, the above construction insures that the diaphragms will not. be inflated while they are in open position but only inflated when they are in closed position thereby preventing permanent damage to the diaphragms.

Despite the above safeguard, on occasions valves l' ll! have become clogged due to various circumstances beyond the control of the operaator, and therefore there resulted some damage to the diaphragms which were inflated while the diaphragms were open. To prevent this a safety arrangement is provided so that it will be impossible for the cl'iaphragms to be inflated unless the rams have moved to close the diaphragm. This safety system is best. seen in Figs. 3, '7, and 9. In Fig. 9, there is shown one of a plurality of conduits H31 which lead from upper chamber l2! connect tovalves H5. In each of conduits ltl there is a control valve 182 which is adapted to be actuated when the pneumatic ram associated therewith is raised. There are conduits I84 and its leading from the outlet sides of valves H5, valves H5 being constructed as shown schematically in Fig. 12 so that when the valves are turned one way air will be supplied to the diaphragms but when the valve is turned the other way the diaphragm-s will be connected to he atmosphere through an exhaust port F90.

The actuating system for the control valves it? is best shown in Figs. 3- and 7' and comprises levers 5 36 pivoted at E9? to the lower frame I519, said levers having lugs i extending therefrom and adapted to be actuated by piston rods Tl when the piston rods are raised; There are actuating rods 291i pivotal ly carried to the outer ends of levers use, the upper ends of the rods being guided by lugs 2-0-2 carried by posts 45' as shown in Figs. l and 5. There are valve actuating levers 2M pivotally supported at M5 on arms 2%, which arms are secured to posts 45 by the outer ends of the arms and the arms are secured at their inner ends tosafety or control valves I82 which are connected to the annular member or manifold member tilt, thereby supporting the annular or manifold member l'E-t. The inner ends of valve actuating levers we bear against pins 20? of safety'valves: i 82. is each pneumatic ram is supplied with air its piston rod will engage the associated safety valve lever system so as to cause actuation the actuating. lever thereof to depress the pin' 2.31: of the associated control or safety valve and thereby open the associated conduit NH so. that air can be supplied to the associated diaphragm control valve H5, the supplying of; air: to the pneumatic rams being caused by the engagement 0t arm i 55 with the air control valve .ior the pneumatic ram. Also, the valves i82 will be successively closed as arm 1-55 successivelyactuatesvalves lld to cause the pneumatic rams to. be lowered; thereby allowing 2M torise preventing inflation of the diaphragms at all times when. the diaphragnis are in open condition- Therefore, if some of the valves I49 for the pneumatic. rams become clogged the above. construction will. prevent. the f om rising and through the. lever system opening the safety valves r82.

se zes? In the plan views as shown in Figs. 2 and 10, it can be seen that the air control valves for the diaphragms and pneumatic rams are located circumferentially behind the diaphragms and rams which they control, and this explanation accounts for the location of the arms I55, lfit, H0, and I'll with reference to the location of the operator 0, particularly as shown in Fig. 10. The arms, therefore, trail the diaphragms and rams which they control.

There are means for retarding or stopping the turret to permit the operator to remove an article or insert an article between the diaphragm in case the operator for any reason fails to successfully remove or insert the article at the first try. In such a case, the operator merely operates the braking means to slow down the turret to enable the operator to successfully complete the inserting or removing operation of the article. These braking means comprise a drum 239 having a depending flange 22s adapted to be pressed between a pair of brake shoes 223, one of which is shown in Fig. 1. The brake shoes are supported on flexible supports 225 secured at their lower ends to frame Ill. There is a suitable brake shoe actuating mechanism comprising a foot lever 23!] pivoted at 23! to frame it and having a link 233 pivoted at the outer end thereof. There is an actuating link 236 pivoted intermediate the ends thereof to the upper ends of link 233. A tension spring 231 is secured by one of its ends to the right-hand end of actuating link 23% and at its other end to frame it. The inner end of actuating link 23% bears against a pivoted bellcrank shoe actuating member its which is pivoted at 2 on supports M2 secured to the left-hand shoe supporting member. When the foot lever 230 is depressed the bellcrank member 240 will be pivoted to cause the shoes to engage the depending flange 220 of the drum 21s and thereby retard or even stop the movement of the turret. During this period the friction clutch 24B merely slips allowing continued rotation of the output shaft 222 from the reduction drive 2|. Drum 2 I9 is secured to the center main hollow supporting post 2M in any suitable manner.

Although the operation of the device has been explained during the detailed description of the parts of the apparatus, a short summary will r be given for a clearer understanding of the apparatus.

The motor 2!} is energized to continuously drive the turret through reduction drive 2! and friction clutch 22 except at such times as the braking means is actuated. The operator will be seated in a position shown in dotted lines in Fig. if) and marked by the letter O. The operator is supplied with a series of articles such as plates or the like, which have print tissues initially applied thereto but not pressed thereon. The arms I10, I11, I55, and 56 serve to actuate the pneumatic rams and diaphragm valves so that as each set or pair of diaphragms approaches the operator the diaphragms will be deflated and then opened so as to allow the operator to remove an article therefrom and insert an article therein. The pairs of diaphragms after receiving an unpressed article, will be advanced in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 10, the diaphragms closed and air under pressure supplied behind the diaphragms to cause the diaphragms to tightly press the print tissue against the article to cause a transfer of the print from the tissue to the article.

As can be seen in Fig. 6, the article A is entirely supported by the diaphragms, and therefore, there will be no bending forces on the article because the air under pressure is the same behind both diaphragms and is supplied simultaneously behind those diaphragms, and since the air under pressure behind both of the diaphragms will equalize itself so as to apply the same force to the whole area of the article there will be no bending forces applied to the plate. In one apparatus constructed the air pressure behind the diaphragms was fifty pounds per square inch and yet the breakage was practically negligible and in cases where there was breakage it could not be determined whether it was caused by the pressure behind the diaphragms or whether the plate or article itself was faulty. However, by providing sponge rubber pads 250 and 251 on the faces of the diaphragms a more successful transfer of the print is usually possible. Although smearing of the print using the diaphragms alone is very little, there is even less smearing and breakage by using the sponge rubber pads 25!] and 25L It is to be understood that the sponge rubber pads are not formed into the shape of the articles to be operated on but are merely flat disc-shaped sponge rubber pads. One advantage of the present invention is that the apparatus embodying the invention does not require the use of special molds or forms to fit the particular article to be treated, providing the article is relatively flat such as dishes, saucers, and the like, since the diaphragms readily conform to the shape of the article being treated and apply a uniform force to all areas of the article, thereby avoiding breakage as before brought out and yet making the machine extremely versatile in that it can handle a wide range of relatively fiat articles without requiring a change in mold forms and the like. Where articles, such as cups, deep bowls, and the like are to have a print applied thereto, it is contemplated that the diaphragms will be formed to have an initially undistorted shape, such as to approximately conform to the inner and outer contour of the cup, deep bowl or the like. Even here, however, the present invention provides an apparatus having advantages not found in prior apparatus since, for a particular conformity of the diaphragms, a number of different shaped bowls or cups can have prints applied thereto even though the cups or bowls vary somewhat as to shape.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a rotary turret having a plurality of pairs of diaphragms with the diaphragms of each pair being supported for movement toward and away from one another, means for rotating the turret, means for successively causing opening and closing movements of the diaphragms whereby a print tissue-carrying article can be inserted between or withdrawn from between the diaphragms, and means for supplying air under pressure to behind the diaphragms only when the diaphragms are together.

2. In a device of the class described, a rotary turret having a plurality of pairs of diaphragms with the diaphragms of each pair being supported for movement toward and away from one another, means for rotating the turret, means for successively causing opening and closing movements of the diaphragms whereby a print tissue-carrying article can be inserted between or withdrawn from between the diaphragms, and means for supplying air under pressure to behind the diaphragms only when the diaphragms are in closed position.

3. In a device of the class described, a rotary turret having a plurality of pairs of diaphragms with the diaphragms of each pair being supported for movement toward and away from one another, means for rotating the turret, means for successively causing opening and closing movements of the diaphragms whereby a print tissuecarrying article can be inserted between or withdrawn from between the diaphragms, and means for simultaneously supplying air under pressure behind the diaphragms of each pair only when the diaphragms are in closed position.

4. In a device of the class described, a rotary turret having a plurality of pairs of diaphragms with the diaphragms of each pair being supported for movement toward and away from one another, means for rotating the turret including a friction clutch, means operable to brake the turret to retard rotation thereof, means for successively causing opening and closing movements of the diaphragms whereby a print tissue-carrying article can be inserted between and withdrawn from between the diaphragms, and means for supplying air under pressure behind the diaphragms only when the diaphragms are in closed position.

RALPH H. MARTIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,872,693 Drake Aug. 23, 1932 2,054,864 Owen Sept. 22, 1936 2,407,321 Miller Sept. 10, 1946 2,519,661 Johnson Aug. 22, 1950 2,565,949 Clifford Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 527,173 Great Britain Oct. 3, 1940 

